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the time of King John, there were Normans, Angevins, Poitevins, and many others. The mixture was complex, but, by and large, the entire nobility of England in the early 13th century was French. Thus, when the word "English" is used in this book, it means those noblemen whose major estates were in England and who spent most of their time in that country. |
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The word "fewter" is another convenient inaccuracy. The fewter was a rest for a lance attached to the saddle, which had not been invented in the early 13th century. However the verb form of the word has been used to obviate the necessity for a long, involved phrase describing how a spear was held. A few other similar anachronisms appear, but I ask the reader to remember that styles in clothing and furnishings, in the wording of oaths and challenges, and so on, did not begin or change according to strict dates. |
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The spelling of names is the final problem I must mention. There were no rules for spelling in medieval times, and when names had to be transliterated from one language to another, difficulties were merely multiplied. For example, the name of the Welsh Prince is Leolin in Roger of Wendover, Llywelyn in the Oxford History series, and Llewelyn in the Encyclopaedia Britannica; de Cantelu in Roger of Wendover becomes de Canteloupe in the Dictionary of National Biography; Alberic in Wendover is Aubery in the Oxford History and in the Encyclopaedia. Under the circumstances, I have felt free to be arbitrary, choosing the name I preferred for aesthetic reasons. |
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If more serious errors appear, I would be most grateful to have them called to my attention. Although the "story" is a fiction, a real effort has been made to keep accurate the history that impinges upon it and into which it is set. |
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R.G. |
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